The Portland daily press., 1887-04-18
PRICE THREE CENTS.


the sum Of 5000, $500 OF which was to be
paid at the start Concluding their three
days stop in Guaymas, the colonists boarded
the barque and sailed away. The trip was
pleasant and after three days the baraue
came to anchor at place which the captain
said was within three miles Of the harbor. 1t
vas nearly night but Captain Bunker,
Stubbs, the Chases and Hawkins took boat
TO find the colony. They were gone ali
night and on their return In the morning re-
ported the Bay many miles distant The
contract with the captain Of the vessel re-
CURED that he should take the party to with
In three miles Of the harbor and remain there
.wenty-four hours while the stores were un-
loaded. Upon the report Of the boat party,
the captain got under way and proceeded 10
iee sne pay. Inc skipper was on the alert TO fill
MS p0eketDook, however, and when the
work of loading the goods into the lighter
boat commenced, made demand for S65 In
excess OF the sum stipulated. This led To- a
state Of war. The party, through Hawkins,
refused TO comply with the demand, where
upon the captain said that no more flour
should be taken from the vessel. One Of the
eolonists teok up bag and the captain
seized him. That was too much and In a
twinkllng the first battle Of the party was
won. The captain was ordered forward as a
prisoner on his own ship and the men In
possession completed the unloading The
captain afterward renewed his demand for
extra pay but Hawkins, by threat not TO
pay him the $500 still due, carried the dav
The money was paid over and all the party
shook hands with the captain. gave three
cheers and left the ship TO begin life as res
idents Of Pacific City land members OF the
Credit FOncler.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS.
II the belief Of the eolonlsts In the Ut0-
plan scheme to which they had lent them
selves had been steadfast before reaching
Guaymas, it took only short time after
landing at Topolobampo to open the eyes Of
most Of them and show how great was the
fraud Of which they were the victims. In
stead Of the lovely groves Of orange trees
standing in the midst Of fertile country,
they saw nothing but stretches Of sand and
rock, covered with cactus plants. BY the
shore Of the bay collection Of tents afforded
shelter to the colonists already on the
ground. Farther away was a small hut,
built Of cane mating, whose use the new
comers soon learned. Upon hill near the
tents was the only wooden building in the
place. This was Alberton Hall, built for
the exclusive use of Owen. why" said
Mr.. Rowe, ito show how little Owen cared
for the eolonists, think Of that building. 10
would be worth here about twenty dollars
and it had cost there $4,000, which came out
Of the people who had invested in the Credit
Foncier
The passengers from the barque were dis
appointed in the place, but there was7a~
greater surprise for them in the people whom
they found there. The colOnists consisted
Of two distinct classes. One was composed
OF such people as the party Of which the
eOlonists from Maine formed part. They
had read the circulars descriptive Of the new
home on the Gulf Of California, had invested
in the stock Of the Credit Foncier and come
to the settlement with honest Intentions and
belief in the promises which had been
made to them. But there was another class,
drawn, as Mr.. Rowe expressed II, from the
lowest scum Of Denver. These were Owens
supporters, and they did their work well.
From the. first they regarded the Maine
state Of open hostility. The new comers
were so constantly watched that 1t was i'm
possible for them to have any conversation
except in the presence of their enemies.
It seems that Mr.. Turner by writing TO
Mrs. Rowland for information as TO the
true state OF affairs in tue colony, had drawn
down upon the Maine men the wrath Of
Owen and his powerful allies. the roughs.
Some Of those who came on the barque
worked in with the Owen crowd, but the
majority held aloof from them. The Maine
people and their friends were q small minor
ity and comparatively helpless under the
threats Of the Owen men.
LIFE IN THE COLONY.
Immediately after landing, the party erect
ed tents. Their provisions were turned into
the common stock. and the arrivals became
participants in the new cooperative style Of
living. The bill Of fare provided for the set
tiers was simple, both In the variety and
manner Of preparation Of the food. "The
principal dish, said Mr.. Rowe, was mush.
This was prepared by putting lot Of beans
in kettle, pouring in water and letting the
kettle hang over a FIRE for a time. At meal
times, men In their haste to get the misera-
BILE food would crowd little children from
their places at the table. Aud in the vicini-
ty Of the tables children crying because they
had been showed aside and could get nothing
to eat was a common sight. Their mothers,
in many cases, belonged to the rougher ele-
ment Of the settlers, and TO the complaints
Of the little ones paid no attention"
A system OF government quite foreign to
the cooperative plan, was found 10 exist In
the colony. The settlers had been led to be-
lieye that there would be ten directors, OF
which. IL will be remembered, Mr.. Eaton
was to be one, and also the head Of the po-
lice department. Property was 10 be held In
common, and the work Of each man was to
be for the benefit Of all, Then there was to
be the bank, run on Owens new plan OF
banking, and various other benohoial features
-
called the serial system, was In operation.
The serial system appeared to consist Of a
series Of harsh and tyrannical men who held
the offices, and TO whom Owen was desp0t-
ic chief. The only thing In the life Of the
settlers which at all resembled banking was
the promptness with which they were called
upon to turn In all their money. No divi-
dends were declared.
One Of the hardest things which the Maine
people had to bear was the constant robbery
Of the mails. Letters mailed to their friends
at home by the colonists we're never forward
ed to their destination, and the money sent
by the anxious relatives. and friends la the
States, by the working OF the postal depart
ment Of the serial system, found Its way into
Owens treasury and seldom got where Il
could gladden. the hearts Of the almost des-
pairing settlers for whom 1t had been in
tended
One thing In the social system was retained
which had been promised In the descriptions
OF the proposed business methods Of the new
community. Wages were credited to the
members for the work performed and they
were charged for what they had-all on
paper. In a camp Of 100 persons, the six
men who brought the drinking water re-
eeiYed on paper three dollars day each, the
six cooks who e0ncocted the mush were paid
like amount, and when the mush was put
before the settlers, 1t was carried by seven
table girls who also received three dollars a
day-On paper. When Saturday night came
around. the amounts due each person was
put uoWn In DOCKS Kept Tor the purpose.
"As we figured it" said Mr.. Rowe, sit would
cost several times as much 10 pay the cooks
and walters as the members Of the colony
paid for board. was the head shoemaker
and got three dollars day, In the same way
as the others were paid. The company owes
me now about S34."
SICKNESS AND DEATH.
The people from Maine were hot long in
discovering what was the thing most to be
dreaded in the settlement When Owen was
first met he was asked about the health Of
those already at Topol0bampo, and replied
that all were well, except few who had the
measels. These few cases Of measels were
found to be small pox, aud the hut Of cane
mating was used as a hospital. About a
week had passed before the disease attacked
a member Of the party which had landed
from the barque. Then Young son Of Mr..
Bolan, who came from Texas, was stricken
down. The boy could not rally against the
ravages Of the disease In that climate and
soon died. A rock was tied to the body and
1t was thrown into the bay. The next case
was a Mr. Foss from Texas, whom Mr.. Rowe
thinks got well. Mr. Hawkins's son had the
IA n..l IfoI .wI -.